Archaeological theory

system for categorizing prehistory

theory of Indo-European origin

In anthropology, sedentism (sometimes called sedentariness; compare sedentarism) is the practice of living in one place for a long time. As of , the large majority of people belong to sedentary cultures. In evolutionary anthropology and archaeology, sedentism takes on a slightly different sub-meaning, often applying to the transition from nomadic society to a lifestyle that involves remaining in one place permanently. Essentially, sedentism means living in groups permanently in one place. The invention of agriculture led to sedentism in many cases, but the earliest sedentary settlements were p

society that is not governed by a state, or, especially in common American English, has no government; anthropological phenomenon of societies where state-like social organisation is not present.

theoretical paradigm in archaeology aiming to learn about the lifestyles of those who created or used artifacts beyond the limits of the archaeological record

Term for a hypothetical homogeneous pre-Indo-European culture

a theoretical paradigm in archaeology

Hominization, also called anthropogenesis, refers to the process of becoming human, and is used in somewhat different contexts in the fields of paleontology and paleoanthropology, archaeology, philosophy, theology, and mythography. In the latter three fields, the alternative term anthropogony has also been used. Both anthropogenesis and anthropogony sometimes instead refer to the related subject of human evolution.

classification of archaeological artifacts according to their physical characteristics

a multi-disciplinary project commissioned by the People's Republic of China in 1996

hypothesis in historical linguistics that the Urheimat of proto-Indo-European is in the Caucacus

first hominin expansion into Eurasia (2.1–0.1 Ma)

thumb|upright=1.35|Diana and Actaeon (Titian)|Diana and Actaeon by [[Titian has a full provenance covering its passage through several owners and four countries since it was painted for Philip II of Spain in the 1550s.]]

intellectual frameworks for interpreting archaeological data

archaeological sub-discipline

Theoretical paradigm in archaeology

archaeological sub-discipline

archaeology that employs a feminist perspective in interpreting past societies

philosophical framework used in investigating archaeological practices

archaeological theory that interprets archaeological information within the framework of Marxism

thumb|Grafton Elliot Smith: Map of Hyperdiffusionism from Egypt, 1929 Hyperdiffusionism is a pseudoarchaeological hypothesis that postulates that certain historical technologies or ideas were developed by a single people or civilization and then spread to other cultures. Thus, all great civilizations that engage in what appear to be similar cultural practices, such as the construction of pyramids, derived them from a single common progenitor. According to proponents of hyperdiffusion, examples of hyperdiffusion can be found in religious practices, cultural technologies, megalithic monuments, a

Archaeological hypothesis

Hypthesis for ancient human migrations to the Americas

an approach to archaeology that uses queer theory to challenge normative, and especially heteronormative, views of the past

archaeological sub-discipline

outdated linguistic and archaeological theory